Mack: Blu-Ray ‘Jaws’ thrives in special features

If I ever had a chance of feeling safe to go back in the water, the high-resolution release of “Jaws” on Blu-Ray ruined it.

In the digitally remastered and restored film, the blood is more vibrant, the razor-sharp teeth more menacing and the fear more real. Director Steven Spielberg said it looks better than when it was originally projected in theaters. I can’t speak to that, but it looks amazing. Another selling point is the remastered audio, which takes full advantage of the brilliant score by John Williams. Along with the increased quality, the Blu-Ray features a collection of old and new features such as documentaries and deleted scenes.

“The Making of Jaws” is a two-hour documentary going in-depth into everything “Jaws” including production problems, translating the story from book to movie and anecdotes from Spielberg as well as the actors, writers and producers. One of the best stories is about when the Orca was sinking and Spielberg was trying to get the actors to safety. Sound editor John Carter had a different idea.

“He picked up the Nagra [an audio recorder], he was on the boat, held it over his head and said, ‘F*** the actors, save the sound department!’” Spielberg said. “I have this image to this day of John sinking, holding the Nagra over his head, the water up to John’s ankles, up to his knees, the boat, scrambling to pull everybody off the sinking Orca, and John with his nagger going under.”

My favorite part of the documentary is a detailed analysis of how Williams’ score was used to dramatically impact the film and announce the shark’s presence. During the scene when two kids pretend to be the shark, there is no music. Moments later when the music starts, you know something is about to go down.

Another fascinating section of the documentary is about the difficulties of shooting on the water and dealing with malfunctioning special effects. They nearly led to the movie being shut down. Spielberg sums up the horror of making the horror movie with a recounting of a nightmare.

“Every time I fell asleep, I dreamt I was in the third or fourth day of shooting,” he said. “I’d wake up with an electrical explosion in my brain, my heart beating, can’t catch my breath, looking around the room, where am I, disoriented. I calm down, get a glass of water, go back to sleep again. Same dream. I’m on the fourth day of shooting, and I know I’ve got another 146 days left. I wake up again, same thing. This thing was just haunting me all night long, so I didn’t get any sleep. ‘Jaws’ was a fun movie to watch, but not a fun movie to make.”

“The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of ‘Jaws’ ” goes a step further than the documentary in discussing the cultural phenomenon of “Jaws.” The parts about the success of the film and the crazy fans it created are fun. More interesting is the effect “Jaws” had on the movie industry. It’s widely regarded as the first summer blockbuster, and it also started the trend of advertising movies on TV. Directors such as Eli Roth and Kevin Smith discuss how “Jaws” is one of the main reasons they got into movie making.

“Jaws: The Restoration” is a look into how the original 35mm film was restored into a high-definition Blu-Ray with 7.1 audio. It sounds like it’s just for cinephiles, but it’s fascinating to see how film from nearly 40 years ago can be turned into such a crisp picture. It’s also cool to see footage of Universal’s massive film library.

All of the special features are fun to watch, but the restoration itself is what really drives this release.

Siebenaler: ‘One for the Money’

Based on the 1994 book of the same name by Janet Evanovich, the action-comedy “One for the Money” stars Katherine Heigl as lead character Stephanie Plum, a down-on-her-luck ex-lingerie sales clerk who now tackles the tough bail bonds business. Heigl keeps Stephanie’s character authenticity by wearing a wig for the role and performing a decent New Jersey accent while her natural personal appeal resonates in each scene. She always keeps the audience on her side except for an odd reaction after a car bomb scene, but recovers with compelling emotional reactions to an injured friend and grisly discovery (implied, but not shown). Ranger, played by Daniel Sunjata, shows Stephanie the ropes and is also described as “the statue of David by Michelangelo, if you dipped him in caramel and strapped some heat on him.”

Jason O'Mara and Katherine Heigl star in "One for the Money." Image courtesy of Lionsgate

Stephanie’s assignments eventually lead to her main target/past love interest Joe Morelli, played by Irish actor Jason O’Mara. Their past relationship picks up again as Joe, an ex-cop, is suspected of murder and misses his related court date. Their on-screen chemistry works as the unconventional plot often surprises viewers where they meet throughout the plot while always hinting at their eventual partnership. Supporting cast members Debbie Reynolds, as Stephanie’s grandmother, and John Leguizamo, as a shady fighter manager Jimmy Alpha, impress, but it’s Sherri Shepherd who takes the pot as Lula, a memorable prostitute who helps Stephanie discover the truth behind this murder mystery.

Extra features include a great gag reel, theatrical trailer, one deleted scene, and two featurettes – “Bond Girls: Kicking A** in the Bail Bonds Industry”, which includes some rated R language while expanding the bail bonds process beyond the film, and “Making the Money: Behind the Scenes” featuring the stars, author Evanovich and director Julie Anne Robinson who puts together an amazing movie except for the bad sound in a kitchen scene with Stephanie and Joe. Hopefully filmmakers will continue future movie installments from the book sequels that include “Two for the Dough” and “Three to Get Deadly”. Recommended (***) and rated PG-13 for violence, language, partial nudity, sexual references and some drug material.

Siebenaler: “Haywire” (Lionsgate/Relativity)

“You shouldn’t think of her as being a woman. That would be a mistake.”

Master director Steven Soderbergh makes a high technical and aesthetic mark with the high-quality “Haywire” that stars mixed martial artist Gina Carano as special government agent Mallory Kane.

Haywire

This straightforward action film genre addition features amazing stuntwork and nonsense situations as Mallory finds herself as a target and wants to know why. The simplistic character development is actually built on the genre here. The action filmmaking instantly tells audiences what they need to know.

Mallory knows how to kill people; strives to make herself the best; wants to survive while protecting the innocent and trusts no one except her dad, played by Bill Paxton. This trust factor keeps relationships among the characters to a basic level as the “guilty-by-association” relationships include her boss, played by Ewan McGregor, along with other characters related to her “work life” played by Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender.

Michael Angarano (the teen character from “Forbidden Kingdom”) provides a nice narrative conduit who Mallory encounters in an establishing sequence set in a diner. The varying plot points then branch out into flashbacks among several international locations with minimal dialogue. Carano does her own stunts as the unpredictable plot still follows her predictable end goal – revenge.

The jazzy, 1970s-style musical score echoes Soderbergh’s 1998 film “Out of Sight” and enhances the visuals instead of a beat that only correlates to the action sequences. The quality sound, cinematography and editing all funnel the audience through a compelling, realistic experience.

This home video version includes English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitle options and two featurettes — “Gina Carano in Training” (a great behind-the-scenes stuntwork experience) and “The Men of Haywire” (a disappointingly short showcase almost required due to the high star power). A great addition to the action film genre that gets the message across without resorting to gratuitous content.

Siebenaler: “War Horse”

Director Steven Spielberg helms this compelling drama (DreamWorks/Touchstone) now available on home video. This highly recommended special four-disc set (***1/2) offers a memorable filmmaking experience and includes DVD, Blu-Ray, digital copy and special features disc.

Adapted from the stage play based on the Michael Morpurgo novel, this Oscar-nominated 146-minute film centers on a special horse named Joey and young man named Albert, played by Jeremy Irvine, who trains him. Set in a time when armies still depended on horses in wartime more than machines (World War I Europe), this film builds the historical drama to a grand third act that satisfies and entertains on many levels.

Extra features include an exclusive “A Filmmaking Journey” documentary as well as featurettes about the music, editing and producing of the film. Subtitles are available in Spanish, English and French. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence.

Also available on a one-disc DVD set and a two-disc set including DVD and Blu-Ray versions.